Scavenging In a City, is it possible?

[garthaman]

We all know that you can probably get away with scrounging the country side, digging into some old farm owner's house to get some food. But what if your stuck in a city? Even better, what if your stuck in a huge "planed community", with at least 500,000 people who all turn into zombies? I personally believe that your best bet is to just hope your rations last the initial outbreak, and let some of the zeds dissapate until you can move out from the city, and away from all the zeds.

If this trip is to far, or you are completely out of rations and need to get food, I would hope that you lived in an apartment building, or close to one at least. Apartment buildings allow controled contact with the infected. You only have to bust down a door and take on at most 3 at once, which you can filter down to one by standing in the doorway.

If you don't even have an apartment building nearby, you should always try roof jumping, if they are close enough. Most buildings in cities are built connected to each other, making it very easy to just walk the roofs. The only obsticle is large drops.

If worst comes to worst, your best bet is to just put your head between your knees and kiss your ass good bye!

Tell me what you think

[Cenobite]

We all know that you can probably get away with scrounging the country side, digging into some old farm owner's house to get some food. But what if your stuck in a city? Even better, what if your stuck in a huge "planed community", with at least 500,000 people who all turn into zombies? I personally believe that your best bet is to just hope your rations last the initial outbreak, and let some of the zeds dissapate until you can move out from the city, and away from all the zeds.

If this trip is to far, or you are completely out of rations and need to get food, I would hope that you lived in an apartment building, or close to one at least. Apartment buildings allow controled contact with the infected. You only have to bust down a door and take on at most 3 at once, which you can filter down to one by standing in the doorway.

If you don't even have an apartment building nearby, you should always try roof jumping, if they are close enough. Most buildings in cities are built connected to each other, making it very easy to just walk the roofs. The only obsticle is large drops.

If worst comes to worst, your best bet is to just put your head between your knees and kiss your ass good bye!

Tell me what you think

I would actually preffer staying in the city when hell gets loose. If you know what youre doing and youre alone or with people who are fit and able to jump and climb and pull themselves up then city is the way to go. Lots of fences, roofs, doors, hallways, obstacles.

Its a maze, if you can master that maze youre set...cause the city has everything in large portions....well that includes the Zs too.

[DemonChild]

Think about it, though. Zeds aren't exactly stationary. In fact, my research indicates that they're quite mobile.:D With so many around, even after some go away, you're going to need a quick and quiet way to neutralize them without attracting attention. Something simple, not too elegant. Best bet, imo, is a katana that you keep really, really, really, really sharp.:evil:

[mattifikation]

Scavenging anywhere is possible, as long as there's stuff there. I would imagine the cities would threaten you with the biggest risk of infection, but they would obviously also reward you with the biggest yield of supplies.

You just have to ask yourself, is it worth the risk? Sure, you'll find more food there than anywhere... but will you make it out alive? I would personally not try it unless I had lots of ammo and a way to get out of town FAST if the zombies realized I was there. And of course, if I knew that my scavenging was going to turn up replacement lots-of-ammo and fuel for that escape vehicle.

I think those free running/parkour guys would have it made in a zombie outbreak. Their skills would definitely increase the chances of getting into and out of a city full of zombies safely. If I were going to have a team of survivors, I'd want somebody like that in it for the "quick missions."

Ideally, I'd prefer to look to small villages for supplies. You know the kind: One road, one light, one convenience store/gas station, and one hundred people or less.

[DemonChild]

RE3 style. Hopefully you won't run into the whole L.J. situation and all... But regardless of that, I think smaller towns would be better targets in the long run unless you've got one hell of a un-deathwish.

[Umbrela]

Depending on what point of an outbreak it is, it could be possible but hazardous.

[DemonChild]

Well, in a world where the dead are returning to life and EATING people, I really think that everywhere is hazardous to some extent.

[mattifikation]

Everywhere is hazardous now, to "some extent." The idea is to not go places where you have almost no chance. Sure, you could get hit by a car anytime you walk down the street. That hardly justifies running out into the track during a Nascar race because there's a hot dog in the road.

[Umbrela]

The question wasn't whether or not it was a good idea, it was whether or not it is possible.

[DemonChild]

good point. but I mean it'd be more hazardous than already is.

[Umbrela]

good point. but I mean it'd be more hazardous than already is.Naturally. They're zombies, after all.

[DemonChild]

Tru dat, man.

[Jimmy]

Of course it's possible.

I wouldn't recommend going at it by yourself unless you have a pretty good talent for survival. In my opinion you should have a small group of 4-6 people and absolutly no stragglers. Anyone that isn't physically/emotionally able to keepup and "kill" the zombies without hesitation shouldn't tag along into the city. ._.

[Darkness]

"Ok, you guys! The discussion about general fortification is in another thread. Get back to discussing whether or not you think it's possible to scavenge in a city, as opposed to the country, or I'm gonna come back with the axe." :evil: :lol:


(If your still lost, let me refer to the index, at the top of the main US&D page.)
http://www.allthingszombie.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15744

[Iron Knuckles]

I think it would be possible. But not my first plan of action to say the least.

[Umbrela]

Of course it's possible.

I wouldn't recommend going at it by yourself unless you have a pretty good talent for survival. In my opinion you should have a small group of 4-6 people and absolutly no stragglers. Anyone that isn't physically/emotionally able to keepup and "kill" the zombies without hesitation shouldn't tag along into the city. ._.

That seems the best idea. Still, cities should be avoided at all costs.

[JakAttak]

don't go into cities if you're already in there don't try and get out, though if you have lost all you're senses keep to the roof tops and be out before nightfall. oh and dont go underground

[Daeth]

I think cities would be an awesome place to scavenge... all your really need is some ropes to rappel (Just in case) and some buddies on the roof of an opposite building with sniper rifles.. and then your good. PLus most buldings have kitchens, which means food. and a greater chance of a gun store..:)

[JakAttak]

no the cities would death traps swarming with Z's remember the more that live in an area the more that die in the area

[DemonChild]

Cities already freak me out without the undead parading about, screw that. Suburbs are the closest that I'd get. Probably have to ghost a few zeds but it'd be as simple as anywhere else, maybe a little more difficult considering I'd have to deal with the undead brady bunch x 100

[JakAttak]

suburbs would be okay but the houses still have a lot of rooms family members could have put Z's

[DarthJoe8]

I don't know if I'd like being in a city during an outbreak...maybe staying underground or on the roof tops but running around in the streets seems like a short trip to being zed food...:scare:

[Xawmb]

The city would be the last place that I would want to be during z-days. Yes, all of the supplies but what has stopped other people from trying to get it before? Other survivors could have went in to get supplies and died. Plus what if looters have been through, like the merry band of bikers in Romero's Dawn of the Dead.
Or what if there's crazy lunatics holding up the gun and/or food stores that would kill anyone who tried to get some supplies?

Going into the city, you'll never know what will happen. That's why I'm going to stick to my suburbs. But really you never know what will happen any wheres, but the suburbs would by far be safer. Less zambies!

[manaketes]

my rule is: "If you've thought of it, so have 1000 others." No cities for me.

[Xawmb]

my rule is: "If you've thought of it, so have 1000 others." No cities for me.

Exactly. There will always be other survivors who need supplies. And if people have survived in the city then they might have gotten it all ready.

[DeAdLY SiNZz]

I see it as perfectly fine as long as your little group has the ability to stay on the move constantly, stick to the roofs as much as possible and use that parkour skill, carry light weapons that way you can be on the move for a while and not fatigue to much. Also be smart where you do pilliage.

[bandits1]

I see it as perfectly fine as long as your little group has the ability to stay on the move constantly, stick to the roofs as much as possible and use that parkour skill, carry light weapons that way you can be on the move for a while and not fatigue to much. Also be smart where you do pilliage.
Lol @ "parkour skill". There are about as many members here with "parkour skill" as there are guys who are actually traditionally trained to use a katana.

[Bob]

Parker is pretty kool but it will not give you as much edge as a good firearm.

[mattifikation]

think corny puns man.

it won't give you as much edge as a good machete. it won't have as much impact on your survivability as a good club. you won't get as much bang for your buck as a good firearm.

shit like that maaaaan

ahem. sorry. :drinking:

[Bob]

Well excuuuuuuse me. :loon:

[kiltedninja]

Bob, that picture in your sig is amazing.

Anyway, let's get back to business.

The East and south sides of Portland would be not too bad, but when you're in the northern and western parts, god help you.

Also, I'm pretty sure there's not a thousand people like me, I'm like my own melting pot of stuff. If you're not like me, you don't think like me.

[Bob]

Thanks I like the pic a lot.

The larger the city the more chance there would be running into a street gang that survived.

If I live to be 100 I will never understand how we cannot control street gangs.
I mean for Gods sake how can we not break up a gang that only controls ten blocks of a city!
If the LEOs were not hamstrung by the politicians I bet they could solve the problem in a few weeks.

[Onslaught]

Thanks I like the pic a lot.

The larger the city the more chance there would be running into a street gang that survived.

If I live to be 100 I will never understand how we cannot control street gangs.
I mean for Gods sake how can we not break up a gang that only controls ten blocks of a city!
If the LEOs were not hamstrung by the politicians I bet they could solve the problem in a few weeks.

if we're talking about a full scale TEOTWAKI event here there will be no street gangs that survived. at least, they will not have survived on the street. Anyone holed up in a building will most likely have a swarm around that building unless they're loners. Groups of people in a building will attract hordes.

that's the real problem with a city. even if you manage to infiltrate a sparcely populated area (let's say that the majority of the Zs are gathered around an apartment across town) if even one Z sees you and moans, it's over. you will soon be dealing with a large number of zombies. you'll have to drop out of sight and hole up in unfamiliar territory until something else catched their attention, or you will have to bug out and hope you aren't followed.

I'd scavenge in semi rural/suburban areas, but most likely keep away from the cities.

also, the thing stopping us from clearing up street gangs is the same thing stopping us from clearing up the insurgency in iraq: our politicians and public lack the balls to kill as viciously as is necessary to stop the active threats and deter potential threats. Contrary to popular belief and recent history, insurgencys rarely succeed. the larger, occupying force says "screw it" and starts inflicting enough pain that the insurgents give up or are destroyed outright. the american public and government are not willing to apply that much pressure. <and now we return you to your regularly scheduled programming>

[mattifikation]

Street gangs can't be controlled because the justice system is messed up. Prison should be prison. You go in, you sit in your cell until your sentence is up. You shower in your cell, you don't get a cell mate, and you get fed through a slot. Rec time means getting on the damn floor and doing pushups. No computers, no library, no basketball courts, no work release, and NO TELEVISION.

When you get out, you have two options: Find a job and start paying for all the expenses the prison incurred while you were incarcerated, or go back to jail until somebody pays it for you. And last but not least, when you get out of jail you get relocated to a different town so that you don't end up with the same crowd you started out with.

People would think twice, REAAALLLL hard, before doing stupid criminal bullcrap if it meant sitting in a cell alone for 10 years and then being forbidden from living in your old home ever again.

End Rant.

[Bob]

A big part of the problem with prisons is there a large societal sub-culture to whom going to jail occasionally is as normal as going to work is to the mainstream.

They want for nothing in jail.
Not sex, not drugs, not even internet access.

When on the outside they have sex with women, when on the inside they have sex with men.
Perfectly normal as far as they are concerned.

[mattifikation]

Yeah, well making their entire sentence be solitary confinement would fix all that. Forget prisons, we need to put criminals in dungeons. Oh, and we need to vastly redefine what makes somebody a criminal. People get harsher sentences for toking up than they do for diddling kids in this country, and it's ridiculous.

[Darkness]

"Okay, Rant Time over. Let's get back to Scavenging In a City now, please." ;-)

[Onslaught]

"Okay, Rant Time over. Let's get back to Scavenging In a City now, please." ;-)

Sorry about that.

[kiltedninja]

What I think we need is some serious fvckin Anarchy, so we can start over from the beginning. Like a zombie outbreak, all the stupid people would die, and only smart and/or lucky people would be alive.

I think that scavenging in a city would be possible, because think about this; in zombie movies, our most accurate resource here, the zombies start to congregate around buildings, if you're real sneaky, you can get in and out in a matter of time.

[mattifikation]

From anarchy rises warlords, and from that comes dictatorships. Democracy would take decades, if not centuries, to be restored following an anarchic collapse and/or a zombie outbreak.

<contrived inclusion of thread topic>
And plus, the only way to get supplies would be to scavenge cities...
</contrived inclusion of thread topic>

[CityOfChicago]

I wouldn't scavenge in the city. It would be replete with dead, possibly hundreds of thousands in the largest cities, and they would be around every corner. That's the risk. Reward would be low, too. If the panicing people didnt destroy/claim/steal everything they could, then the immediate aftermath would probably destroy most of the city anyway. Risk vs reward is just not good enough for me. I'd rather find the lesser populated areas where others havent torn through everything, and the risk vs reward is better.

As far as anarchy and a new order, a favorite quote of mine is by Thomas Jefferson: "A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine." Anarchy never works. The desire for power and control is a human one - people always end up froming 'tribes'. Even democracy is not a real form of governement, but a transitional phase of governements. It either turns into a type of fascism or republic.

They should change the laws and classify street gangs as criminal enterprises, and make membership itself illegal.

[kiltedninja]

But nothing good comes instantly. Plus we've got people who kill those...very intelligent, almost human like zombie dictators. They're called ninjas.

Yeah, can't farm while on the move.

[mattifikation]

You could build an aeroponic greenhouse out of a semi trailer. Aeroponically grown vegetables grow fast, healthy, and efficiently. Downside is, you'd be limited to the roads.

[CityOfChicago]

Well, you can't argue against ninjas. Unless you're the white ninja. Then the regular ninjas is f*cked.

I'd rather just avoid the cities and increase my chances of survival by staying away from densely populated areas.

[Bob]

A zillion pages or so ago there was discussion about mega-population centers.
The absolute worst possible city to be in would be Mumbai.

[UNDEAD FRED]

Going into a city with thousands of undead cannibals is not my ideal of survival. Maybe if you go into those undead cities in Strykers, or other armored vehicles maybe, depends on the urgency of your needs, do hit n run raids you might survive.

[kiltedninja]

I'm not saying go into the middle of the city, tooled up for an all out war, but hit the 7-11 on the edge of town type stuff. Fred Meyer's likes to put it's stores in the strangest places here.

My idea, is to find an area on the outskirts that's readily defendable, keep that as your base, and on several occasions make hit and run raids on stores for equipment. Even then, I'd stick to the outer parts of town, and hopefully have some wheels.

[mattifikation]

You'd get a lot of wandering zombies doing that. And I mean a *lot.* Of course, you'll get the occasional crowd anywhere you go, but the edge of a city might as well be right inside it.

[UNDEAD FRED]

If the undead epidemic takes a few weeks to turn the burbs into a wasteland there might not be anything left on the shelves to scavenge. You might have to risk going into homes to find supplies, death traps probilly as the stenches wait for you to enter the darkened shadows.

[kiltedninja]

Flood lights mate. Make any dark room a whole lot less dark.

It's safe to say that walking into town would be walking into a war zone in Zday.

[Bob]

I wonder how it would change the balance if you had Abrams tanks at your disposal. How many Zed could you just drive over before the treads gave out?
Drive it down the main street pushing dead cars out of the way, the noise should attract every Zed for miles. They would fill the street then you could reduce them to paste.
Could this be repeated until all that were left were the stragglers and the ones that are trapped in buildings?

[kiltedninja]

If you're shelling 'em, and have a machine gunner and another rifleman on top, maybe two, then you're probably gonna be okay.

Do they make HE rounds for the M1's?

[mattifikation]

I don't know about M1's, but I know that you can get a lot of the cold war era armored vehicles for about the same price as an entry-level luxury sedan.

http://www.armyjeeps.net/index.htm has military vehicles for sale in the United States, while http://www.tanksforsale.co.uk/Tanks_Trucks_Jeeps_for_sale.htm has some stuff for sale in the U.K. - their site says they'll export.

And yes, it's both possible and legal to own those vehicles because the weapon systems are "permanently disabled." I doubt it would be a huge challenge though to swap out the .50's or M249's on some of the lighter vehicles for functioning guns in the event of Z-Day though.

If you were going to make a supply run into a large city, I'd say the best thing to get would be one of the heavy tracked vehicles. The smaller ones might be faster, but they won't be able to clear a path through all the abandoned cars which will probably be absolutely blocking the streets.

[CityOfChicago]

I get my ballz busted for wishing for some snipers, and now we're talking about Abrams tanks and tracked vehicles? :shock::?:think:


:mrgreen:

[UNDEAD FRED]

I get my ballz busted for wishing for some snipers, and now we're talking about Abrams tanks and tracked vehicles? :shock::?:think:


:mrgreen:

I think some people take this zombie stuff a little to serious COC, it is suppose to be fun.

[mattifikation]

Somebody asked about tanks. I just wanted to show that it's not impossible or even difficult to get one... you just have to have more money than brains. And here in America, money is definitely the more common of the two.

[Bob]

Well the miltary dudes are going to take their small arms with them but how many are going to drive their tanks home?
The trucks and cars yes but the tanks???

[mattifikation]

I would do it. Totally. Although at this point, I'd drive just about anything. I'm actually starting to regret not buying an ambulance that was for sale around here for $1,800. It was in great shape, it was low mileage, and it was cheap. But I let my friends talk me out of it. *Sigh.*

[CityOfChicago]

I get my ballz busted for wishing for some snipers, and now we're talking about Abrams tanks and tracked vehicles? :shock::?:think:


:mrgreen:


I'm just making a funny. Partly at my own expense. Partly.... :lol:

[kiltedninja]

I would do it. Totally. Although at this point, I'd drive just about anything. I'm actually starting to regret not buying an ambulance that was for sale around here for $1,800. It was in great shape, it was low mileage, and it was cheap. But I let my friends talk me out of it. *Sigh.*

I woulda painted it bright orange, and written something crazy on it. Or let my stoner friends decorate it with sharpies.

What kind of mileage does an Ambulance get?

[mattifikation]

Not sure. It was based off a Ford Econoline. Still had all the lights and sirens and everything. The dealer wouldn't sell it without removing them... something about some kind of pesky "law" thing, but you can always turn right around and order new ones off the good ol' Internet. :evil:

[kiltedninja]

It's still illegal to have the lights on your car.

I'd hook up the switches for the lights to a megaphone, and when I'm stuck behind some dumbass at a light I'd turn it on 'hey fvckhead! it's a green light!'

[mattifikation]

That's illegal, too. :-p

& Who's gonna pull over an ambulance and be like "I just need to make sure you're really a real ambulance..."

[drdale]

I didd apply to Pimp my Ride - for them to upgrade my Nissan Micra to a zombie survival and killing machine. They have yet to respond and I am becoming despondant.


www.howtosurviveazombieapocalypse.co.uk

[Darkness]

I didd apply to Pimp my Ride - for them to upgrade my Nissan Micra to a zombie survival and killing machine. They have yet to respond and I am becoming despondant.


www.howtosurviveazombieapocalypse.co.uk

"And what does this have to do with scavenging in the city?"

"We have a thread on Transportation. Please stay on topic."

[drdale]

[COLOR="Red"]"And what does this have to do with scavenging in the city?"
COLOR]

The need for a vehicle to scavenge in a city. As previously mentioned it would be suicide to stroll into any urban area, at least in the initial days of the apocalypse, until the zombie masses start to migrate and wander aimlessley. So, you would need a reasonable vehicle. Now, in the US all terrain and higher spec vehicles are more readily available simply because you have more terrain - in the UK it is a lot harder to get hold of anything that would withstand ploughing through a zombie hoarde or knocking stranded cars that were blocking the road out of the way (which there would be in urban areas) The only option we would have is to customise a street vehicle so that it would cope with a scavenging raid on a city. Maybe not as radical as the 80's montage bus transformation scene in Dawn 2004 but maybe with a cattle plough on the front.
Anyway - that's what it's got to do with the thread.

[CityOfChicago]

Snap!

You gonna take that, Darkness??:shock::mrgreen:

[1337ZM613HN73R]

in the UK it is a lot harder to get hold of anything that would withstand ploughing through a zombie hoarde or knocking stranded cars that were blocking the road out of the way

Very true. Though you'll find some good trucks here and there

[mattifikation]

Why would being in the U.K. matter? Don't tell me they've banned big cars, too...?

[kiltedninja]

Pretty soon all the people in the UK will be able to have are small rubber balls for entertainment, and plastic sporks for all utensils. I'm so glad I don't live there.

If I move anywhere in Europe, it'll be Switzerland, where they give you a rifle.

[rogeneck]

I love that in switzerland.
if your honorably discharged from the army then you not only get to keep your rifle they ask that you keep to " defend the country at a moments notice"

[CityOfChicago]

Switzerland - love their knives.

[Darkness]

Snap!

You gonna take that, Darkness??:shock::mrgreen:

"Of course, because it was a vaild, and logical answer. And it wasn't said in a disrespectful way."





"But the conversation that followed wasn't on topic." :naughty:

"We have many wonderous topic threads lurking in this section. I advise you, especially the new posters, to look around a bit deeper. You may be pleasantly surprised by what you find."

"Now, let's get back to talking about the Scavenging Part. Thank you." :)

[DeAdLY SiNZz]

I'll just use some parkour to get around with a small group.
NO I'M NOT A MALL NINJA
i actually practive doing parkour about 4 days a week on top of my militay fitness training the other 4 days.

[bandits1]

I'll just use some parkour to get around with a small group.
NO I'M NOT A MALL NINJA
i actually practive doing parkour about 4 days a week on top of my militay fitness training the other 4 days.
Again, I would refrain from using parkour unless the situation absolutely calls for it. Eventually you're going to screw up, and you don't want to needlessly break a leg taking a short-cut when there are no hospitals open anywhere on the planet.

[FFG]

I'll just use some parkour to get around with a small group.
NO I'M NOT A MALL NINJA
i actually practive doing parkour about 4 days a week on top of my militay fitness training the other 4 days.

How many days in your week? :think:

[mattifikation]

Clearly 8. Can't you add 4 and 4? :lol:

[FFG]

Clearly 8. Can't you add 4 and 4? :lol:

Well, clearly that is my bad. :doh:

[Bob]

Explain with one word how 1+1=3

[MallNinja]

Explain with one word how 1+1=3

Pants?

Cow?

Marine?

[Bob]

Close but no cigar.

One more person guess and I will post the answer if you don't get it right.

[Sammo909]

42.

If in doubt, just say 42, it's usually the answer to something.

[Bob]

The answer is Sex

Reproduction is when 1 man + 1 woman as a family unit = 1 baby increasing the size of the family unit.
1+1=3
or conversely you could say 1+1=1


Don't bother nagging me with twins or some human who had 8.
I am talking normal / average here.

[Darkness]

"Which has nothing to do with the Topic."

[Bob]

Well...

Scavenging would be like farming.
The more kids you had to help with the work the more you got done.

[kiltedninja]

Bob, if I'd gotten to your post first, I could've explained the question.

[mattifikation]

Sex for me these days is more like 1+hand=mess. Dammit.

[kiltedninja]

Well Matt, I'm sorry that things have degenerated for you. In ZPAW it'll be more like 1+Hand= Mess And Zombie. Damn.

[mattifikation]

Fvcking zombies! I'll kill them all! Nobody comes between me and the hand I love!

[Bob]

Well look at it this way, when you get married nothing will change.

[Darkness]

"Come on, guys, I said back on topic, and I meant it." :naughty:

[Frallon]

Why would you have to Scavenge a city, tactic-ly speaking you'd want to keep you distance from close quarters combat, since the chances of you dieing would be greatly increased when being five feet away from a zombie opposed to 100 feet...so why do it, stick to small towns of a couple hundred people, and the country road

[Stankynuts]

Why would you have to Scavenge a city, tactic-ly speaking you'd want to keep you distance from close quarters combat, since the chances of you dieing would be greatly increased when being five feet away from a zombie opposed to 100 feet...so why do it, stick to small towns of a couple hundred people, and the country road

That is true but think about it, If everyone is going to rural areas wouldnt most of the infected just follow them? Why not just wait a week or two after the intial outbreak and then go to a pretty much abandoned city?

[Frallon]

That is true but think about it, If everyone is going to rural areas wouldnt most of the infected just follow them? Why not just wait a week or two after the intial outbreak and then go to a pretty much abandoned city?

You couldnt stay long of course if you did do that, bc even with the infected spread out in all rural directions, they'd still b in the area so you wouldnt have a bit window i'm sure...if that'd even work, bc i'm sure some zack would b stuck inside buildings n what not, plus it'd take awhile since they're so slow

[50 cal]

Stick to the smaller cities. And most particularly smaller grocery stores and drug stores. Probably avoid the WalMarts as they will be over run and probably picked clean anyway.
I would stay close to small cities, probably just on the out skirts.

[bandits1]

Why would you have to Scavenge a city, tactic-ly speaking you'd want to keep you distance from close quarters combat, since the chances of you dieing would be greatly increased when being five feet away from a zombie opposed to 100 feet...so why do it, stick to small towns of a couple hundred people, and the country road
Eventually you'd run into the same problem they did in "Resident Evil: Extinction" - the small rural towns would become depleted of supplies since everyone is avoiding the large dangerous cities. You'd eventually have to venture into more densely populated places to get stuff.

[Frallon]

Eventually you'd run into the same problem they did in "Resident Evil: Extinction" - the small rural towns would become depleted of supplies since everyone is avoiding the large dangerous cities. You'd eventually have to venture into more densely populated places to get stuff.

Yeah, but If you consider resident evil extinction, you consider this being a Grade 5 Zombie infest, which is nearly impossible. The only reason supplies, like water and food, were so diminished in RE3 is because the earth "died". The soil couldnt support life, the water dried up globally, to which both of those things dont even make sense from the description of the virus in the first two films!

[kiltedninja]

Yeah, but if you're not in an area where farming is possible, like most of Arizona, then you'd have to scavenge.

I live in Oregon, and we've got a little farm in the backyard, so I know it can be done, and I've done it before, but I hope I never have to do it to sustain my life.

[Frallon]

I live in Oregon, and we've got a little farm in the backyard, so I know it can be done, and I've done it before, but I hope I never have to do it to sustain my life.

But if you live in Arizona with a small farm, you'd have enough supplies probably at the beginning to get OUT of Arizona, so that you dont have to scavenge extremely large population cities
C, I'm on my game ;-)

[bandits1]

Yeah, but If you consider resident evil extinction, you consider this being a Grade 5 Zombie infest, which is nearly impossible. The only reason supplies, like water and food, were so diminished in RE3 is because the earth "died". The soil couldnt support life, the water dried up globally, to which both of those things dont even make sense from the description of the virus in the first two films!
I wasn't really talking about the "dead" Earth, I was talking about simply running out of places to scavenge from outside of large cities. It's not just going to be you and your little band of survivors ransacking the corner market, it's gonna be everybody. A lot of people seem to think they're geniuses for avoiding the big Walmarts and going instead to little mom-n-pop grocery down the street or the relatively isolated food warehouse. Every single resource, large and small, is going to stripped bare in a day or three.

And nobody here is going to be able to plant, grow, harvest, and process everything they need after z-day begins in time to not have to scavenge for a lot of things. What about gas? What about batteries? I'm sure electrical service is going to be a little bit spotty, so batteries are going to get used up fast. And a few weeks after all the little 7-11's and Rite-Aid's in the rural areas are emptied, someone's gonna want or need a Pepsi or Budweiser or Twinkie or Energizer AAA bad enough to risk the city.

[Bob]

Long distance supply lines will probably be the first thing to go.

[Stankynuts]

I live in on long island so the only way off it besides a boat i sto go through the city pretty much so it kibda sux for me lol.

[Dbuhos]

Erm,i wouldn't building jump...only if the buildings are really close !
Well scavenging ?
I'd probabily raid an police office,because...i don't have what else o scavange,maybe the nearby houses to search food and so on.

[ZombieBruce]

roof juming seems the best plan for doging large groups of zombie. in large cities theres always a wallmart around the coner and wallmart is a survivors best friend (next to a cabelas of course:evil:) in a more suburban area cover is less and adds to surprises the the Zeds may have for us. i personally live in a small rural community with all of the population having a better gun collection than Rambo(ner)lol.

[DarthJoe8]

I live in on long island so the only way off it besides a boat i sto go through the city pretty much so it kibda sux for me lol.


Personally, I'd rather swim than go into NYC during a ZPAW.....:scare:

[Countbad]

Why would you have to Scavenge a city, tactic-ly speaking you'd want to keep you distance from close quarters combat, since the chances of you dieing would be greatly increased when being five feet away from a zombie opposed to 100 feet...so why do it, stick to small towns of a couple hundred people, and the country road

Exactly right. Cities are deathtraps in a Zombie Outbreak. You want to be as far away from cities as possible. I use to live in Chicago were there are millions of people. That equals millions of zombies. Cook county has over 5 million people. I recently moved to the country due to a new job. The county I live in now only has 40,000 people in roughly the same amount of area.

[Darkness]

"Yes, but this thread is about if it's possible. You may come across a circumstance, where you need to."

[Birdman44]

Exactly right. Cities are deathtraps in a Zombie Outbreak. You want to be as far away from cities as possible. I use to live in Chicago were there are millions of people. That equals millions of zombies. Cook county has over 5 million people. I recently moved to the country due to a new job. The county I live in now only has 40,000 people in roughly the same amount of area.

I wouldn't say cities are death traps. They're certainly do-able on the survival scale. However they'll just be harder to survive in. You'll need to be more keen and watch out for zombies around pretty much EVERY corner. Which makes it easy to slip up when things get calm a bit. If a city was quiet and I had to I would go through it (although it has the possibility to get out of hand at the next block) It's worth a try and would save more time then Brooks' idea of going around it. Plus you might find some goodies or useful people. Like I said before, just watch out for the dangers around the corners.

[Darkness]

"Actually, we aren't refering to LIVING IN the city. We are refering to going into a City to scavenge." ;-)

[Countbad]

Im sorry but I'll stick to my premise that a city would be a death-trap in a survival situation. Chances are you are going to over run by the shear numbers of zombies or you will be forced to barricade yourself in a building surrounded by zombies, with no way out and slowly starve to death or die of thirst. Don't fool yourself, you are not an indestructible character out of a video game. You versus thousands upon thousands of zombies equals certain death, even if your name is John Rambo.

What the hell would you be scavenging for anyways? There will be no fresh water in a city. There will be very little food left in the cities. Again don't fool yourself that you will be able to survive by eating an endless supply of food that you will somehow scavenge for in a city. That is a fairy tale. Food doesn't come from the concrete jungle. Cities will be almost completely dry of food by the time the initial collapse is over. What little food is left would not be worth the effort in trying to obtain. Medicine? Again most will be gone by the time the collapse is over and what is left will expire and be useless after a couple of years.

Your best chance of living through a Zombie Apocalypse is to find some piece of land out in the country that is easily defensible, has a supply of fresh water, and growing your own food. Life will take an almost medieval approach. You will need to work with your neighbors in the planting and harvesting of crops, the common defense and the construction of structures like walls.

Survival Plans that rely on scavenging are basically one small step above being totally unprepared.

[Darkness]

"No one said they were going to try and 'rely' on what they can find scavanging."

"But there will be times when you need to. And if that big city is the only place to find, something in particular, then you need an idea of how to go about getting what it is you need, from that particular city."

[CAVU45]

I can think of many things that would need to be scavenged from cities. Hand tools, auto and trucks parts, machinery and spare parts to name a few. Cities while not really producing anything are centers for distribution of damned near everything needed to keep a society running.

[bandits1]

Wait a sec...since zombies are attracted to and eat people, and there would likely be almost no people left in big cities because all of you zombie-savvy peeps would've long escaped to the countryside to grow wheat and corn and shit, wouldn't they eventually wander away from the cities and toward all of the ATZ folks living in the rural areas to satisfy their hunger?

[Birdman44]

"Actually, we aren't refering to LIVING IN the city. We are refering to going into a City to scavenge." ;-)

Maybe I was a bit confusing. I was talking about moving through a city, at the rate of a savanger or just someone traveling through. Its do-able, like I said, but it will be harder to come out unscathed than other areas, I think.

[Darkness]

"There, I agree with you."

[kiltedninja]

Wait a sec...since zombies are attracted to and eat people, and there would likely be almost no people left in big cities because all of you zombie-savvy peeps would've long escaped to the countryside to grow wheat and corn and shit, wouldn't they eventually wander away from the cities and toward all of the ATZ folks living in the rural areas to satisfy their hunger?

A majority of them would probably wander out of the city yes, but there's still a lot of nooks and crannys to get unstuck from for them and you alike.
I'd probably avoid downtown Portland entirely. It's a fvckin mess normally, but post Zday, it would be a terrible place to be.

[SuperJuggernaut13]

yes, take what you need and get out of there as quickly as you possibly can and possibly even shack up some where safe and close just incase you wanted to go back in for more supplies, stage a rally point, and make sure your able to retreat if followed by the zombies. Its a mind game and if you play your cards right you can get what you need from a city. The time frame that you do it in matters as well. I would hold out as long as I could outside the city (if your not already in the city) and go in as needed. I don't think its impossible just a risky situation.

[kiltedninja]

If we could reinforce the windows and bring in large quantities of food, my gym would be a good place to hold up in, there's already weapons and fitness equipment, three levels, showers, and a lot of open space.

[SuperJuggernaut13]

If we could reinforce the windows and bring in large quantities of food, my gym would be a good place to hold up in, there's already weapons and fitness equipment, three levels, showers, and a lot of open space.

Lots of space is good as it gets. We could build a little shanty town of tents and maybe even be able to make the location a permanent one granted we have established a good route into and out of the city. Sporting good stores are a must for they have various unlimited resources of supplies and even a food section in some of em. So it is very possible to scavenge that city seeing how this plan would work exactly how I visioned. I agree with this.

[Bob]

Unlimited is a strong word.
I would be more cautious using it.

[mattifikation]

Saying a plan would work exactly how you envisioned it is just plain naive.

[CAVU45]

Lots of space is good as it gets. We could build a little shanty town of tents and maybe even be able to make the location a permanent one granted we have established a good route into and out of the city. Sporting good stores are a must for they have various unlimited resources of supplies and even a food section in some of em. So it is very possible to scavenge that city seeing how this plan would work exactly how I visioned. I agree with this.

A "shanty town" would be okay for a short period of time, but tents don't last that long and hygiene would quickly become an issue perhaps being more dangerous than the zed threat. No store or warehouse will have an unlimited supply of anything. Resources in such places are not renewable.

[CAVU45]

Saying a plan would work exactly how you envisioned it is just plain naive.

Worse than naive, it would be outright dangerous, deadly even.

[SuperJuggernaut13]

I just meant it like an agreement thing. setting up in his gym would have been a great idea. I sorta changed my mind about the tent thing after some thinking. I pictured a wide open space and figured the tents might serve as a sort of personal space with in the gym itself. Heat would be a problem and personal space isn't as important as I figured. I guess if I want to be alone I could go sit out of sight on the roof or some thing to have my personal time. Its true what you said about my comment being a danger because things don't always go as planned.

I didn't mean to sound so stupid there. I got an idea in my head and you guys pretty much put me in my place on the idea. That's what discussion is all about I guess. Thanks for the advice...

[mattifikation]

Tents indoors wouldn't be a bad idea actually. People perform better when they have luxuries like personal space.

Outdoors, tents can have another name in a survival situation. "Traps."

[SuperJuggernaut13]

Getting back on subject a little I think alot of stores might even be untouched since wide spread panic might have made people not even think about them. Welding shops would most likely still have their sheet metal intact and hardware stores might have alot of their tools and such still not looted. I figure you could take what you needed from unsuccessful lootings such as items just laying in the streets or stumbling upon generators in starved people in boarded up houses and such. It would be like a treasure hunt or some thing. You might even be able to take car parts like an alternator and some how rig up a wind mill.

You would think things like solar panels might even come in handy. I have seen street lights and other small items being powered by solar panel. Granted you have to have a way to store the energy I bet if you went to a library and took books you could sit and read up on how to do it and then go into town with your group and scavenge the parts necessary to build the means of storing energy. I dunno these are just some things I sat and pictured in my mind while trying to come up with useful items I would take from the city if I scavenged like the topic suggests. I still think its possible.

[massacre07]

So it's Z-Day + 6 months. You're low on supplies and you happen on a 20 story apartment building. The building structure is intact and you need food. Theres a lot of kitchens in a 20 story apartment building. What would you do? Go in and look or simply pass by?

Moreso, if you are going in, what would you take with you? And how would you do it? Assume the power is out and most apartment doors will be locked. (Fantasy list)

Personally I would go in, hopefully with a few people to watch my back.
Equipment:
long crow bar
flashlight
USP .40 w/ suppressor and tac light
shotgun w/ flechette rounds (if I encounter a zombie in a dark hall way I want to make sure I **** it up)
hands free radio
large duffel bag
full face gas mask (no telling what kind of nasty odors are going to collect in a building like that and no air circulation

I would perform a floor by floor sweep clearing each apartment with two guys in and two guys in the hall facing either direction. After each floor was cleared we would leave a sack with all of the canned goods or other essentials we found in the stair well and move to the next floor, collecting on the way down. Maximum of eight floors (2 bags per person).

I would also make a point of tracking down the apartments storage lockers. I live in an apartment complex now (two buildings attached with under ground tunnels) and those storage lockers are a gold mine.

[CAVU45]

This would be extrememly dangerous, as most operations would be I suppose. But this poses a particularly nasty challenge. Each and evey door could hold a multitude of surprises, all of the nasty variety. Apartment blocks tend to echo, so every noise you make could potentially give you away. That's moot I guess seeing how you'll be breaking in doors. A gas mask won't do you much good at all. They don't filter smells. All it would do would make you hot, uncomfortable, restrict your breathing, and dangerously restrict your vision. Communication in them is next to impossible, even with the microphone attachment so the radios would be, for all intents and purposes, useless. What you may be thinking of is a mask with oxygen tanks. Those would limit your time in the buildings and restrict how much you could carry. It would also restrict your movements inside and outside the building, slowing you down and tiring you out sooner.

[Bob]

I would like to ask a couple of questions.

Is the building still secure or is the first floor open to anything that wanders by?
Do the apt doors open in or out.
Do the stairwell doors open in or out.
Are the stairwell doors securable?

I would clear the entire open area of a floor including apts with open doors before touching any closed apts.


Pistols and carbines would be the best choice for close quarters.

A boom box or even a wind up alarm clock (no batteries needed) would make an excellent bait to draw the zed into an apt where the door could be slammed on them.
(y'all think this would work???)

[zbuddy]

Bob, I think your idea would work. As for the doors, I am fairly certain, at least in the U.S., that all front doors open inward. Also of note; I am unsure if you have any "Public" storage areas where you live, but there are a ton by me. I doubt any of them would contain food or water, but they certainly would have a plethora of useful crap. They are also built like a secured facility, with the big iron fences and all. I would imagine that there would be few people who would have thought to rummage through all the crap, and they tend to be on the outskirts of towns, so you would not have to delve into the throngs of zeds milling around walmart in the center of town.

[Bob]

Yup we have storage places.
I have one a couple of miles away that is almost big enough to live in.
The guys I work for have what used to be a grocery store where they keep their cars and boats.
It's not impregnable but it is pretty secure.

[Hunk]

what i would personally do is avoid the buildings, think about it, it someone actually tried to defend it the doors would be barracaded and the stairs may be destroyed. a good example is the WWZ article on the nerdy kid in Japan how he was stuck in the apartments. There is the possibility of carcasses and other health hazards. including all the occupants could have attracted many many many zombies. since the doors open inward the zombies could not have pushed them open from the inside but could come in from the outside. so its like a trap. if i truely had to go in i would use a pistol with a taclight and the ammo type thats like a mini shotgun rather than a solid slug. i also would use a sawn off lever action shotgun with a large machete like blade welded to the front like a bayonett. Armor? Kevlar coverings. :drool:

[Hunk]

Bob, I think your idea would work. As for the doors, I am fairly certain, at least in the U.S., that all front doors open inward. Also of note; I am unsure if you have any "Public" storage areas where you live, but there are a ton by me. I doubt any of them would contain food or water, but they certainly would have a plethora of useful crap. They are also built like a secured facility, with the big iron fences and all. I would imagine that there would be few people who would have thought to rummage through all the crap, and they tend to be on the outskirts of towns, so you would not have to delve into the throngs of zeds milling around walmart in the center of town.

EXACTLY! thats all to true

[pkerface]

Scavenging In a City?
Pretty good because lots of food and drink
But lots of zombies which If you are properly armed and in a group probobly
You can get food and drink easily and scavenge for a pretty long while
:lol:

[Zombardment]

Yah find a small city or large town and camp out and scavenge all the supplies you can.

[Onslaught]

Interesting.

You'd need to secure some sort of perimeter or at least the exits. Most of the apartments by me are these 2-3 story buildings with the ground floor half way underground. There are usually concrete sets of stairs at both ends and the landings connecting them serve as hallways. The doors to the apartments issue off of these. I'd pull a vehicle up to one doorway sideways, blocking it. The other door would have a decent sized truck, possibly a u-haul backed up to it, blocking it from the outside, but allowing access to the foraging team. This allows a quick escape incase there happens to be a flood of zombies out of a partiular room, just hop in the truck and go!

Then go room by room. First use a stethoscope to listen through the door, then knock and listen again. There are a multitude of ways to open a door. I think my favorite so far involves a hand operated hydraulic jack hooked up to a sort of "jaws of life" type setup. Just stick em in and start pumping, the jaws will deform the door to the point where it can be opened, and do it a bit quieter than a crowbar or a hammer/boot (or a shotgun). Plus, if the doors open in, you're not using a crowbar to pry it anyway.

Slow and steady, and quiet, wins the race. The less you're noticed the better. Handle low numbers of zombis with melee rather than firearms. (of course, have firearms at the ready when opening doors).

Open every door and clear the entire building/bloc before searching for loot.

Pile it all up by the door ir came from and collect on the way out.


I have a side thought:

How many of you would stockpile cash/precious metals/gemstones? What else would be good currency? What would hold value, and what would gain value? (obviously food,water purification, ammo, alcohol. although you'd be a fool to trade any of those things) Dig deep and find some non-obvious answers.

[Hunk]

Interesting.

You'd need to secure some sort of perimeter or at least the exits. Most of the apartments by me are these 2-3 story buildings with the ground floor half way underground. There are usually concrete sets of stairs at both ends and the landings connecting them serve as hallways. The doors to the apartments issue off of these. I'd pull a vehicle up to one doorway sideways, blocking it. The other door would have a decent sized truck, possibly a u-haul backed up to it, blocking it from the outside, but allowing access to the foraging team. This allows a quick escape incase there happens to be a flood of zombies out of a partiular room, just hop in the truck and go!

Then go room by room. First use a stethoscope to listen through the door, then knock and listen again. There are a multitude of ways to open a door. I think my favorite so far involves a hand operated hydraulic jack hooked up to a sort of "jaws of life" type setup. Just stick em in and start pumping, the jaws will deform the door to the point where it can be opened, and do it a bit quieter than a crowbar or a hammer/boot (or a shotgun). Plus, if the doors open in, you're not using a crowbar to pry it anyway.

Slow and steady, and quiet, wins the race. The less you're noticed the better. Handle low numbers of zombis with melee rather than firearms. (of course, have firearms at the ready when opening doors).

Open every door and clear the entire building/bloc before searching for loot.

Pile it all up by the door ir came from and collect on the way out.


I have a side thought:

How many of you would stockpile cash/precious metals/gemstones? What else would be good currency? What would hold value, and what would gain value? (obviously food,water purification, ammo, alcohol. although you'd be a fool to trade any of those things) Dig deep and find some non-obvious answers.

Currency...Possibly: porn, jewelry, delicasy foods like truffles or chocolates, alcohol of any type, nice clothes, specialty items like fishing rods/tackle, cd's or records...etc.

[kiltedninja]

I know that my part of town would yield a lot of good stuff(we're very well armed around here for the most part, lots of other stuff too) but it would be dangerous as well. I live in an area where three apartment complexes are right next to each other.

[Bob]

This post is going to be pushing it so I am going to try and be careful.

In the Zpaw porn will be worthless.
The real thing will be available for at times as little as a can of beans.
The more civilized a society becomes the fewer cat houses there are.
Things like strength and stamina will become more sexually attractive than a pretty face and blond hair.

[556superman]

I would look for a city or a small town personally mainly a grocery store, or a pharmacy(drugs and candy :-) ), or like a walmart super center, or just a gun shop. those would be on my top list to look for in a city you have to remember that there are safe ways to enter crowded cities I.E. back roads, train tracks, helicopters, even by boat in some places, and the list goes on.

[SWAT Zombie]

This post is going to be pushing it so I am going to try and be careful.

In the Zpaw porn will be worthless.
The real thing will be available for at times as little as a can of beans.
The more civilized a society becomes the fewer cat houses there are.
Things like strength and stamina will become more sexually attractive than a pretty face and blond hair.

do you mean the less civilised a society becomes the fewer cat houses? they seem to have been pretty much a constant throughout civilised history the world over. there are legalised brothels nationwide in Australia and i think we're pretty civilised here. i've never heard of more primitive tribal cultures doing things like that, seems to happen mainly in built up societies. but i'd suspect that's because, as you said, strength and stamina are more desirable when survival is more important than money and good looks, as it would be in a ZPAW

[Bob]

Ok I should have qualified my statement to include Christianity and the power of righteous women.

The last real cat house in what is now the metro area closed when I was still a teenager.
Of course in those days a couple of shots would cure anything.

[SWAT Zombie]

fair enough. to each their own. i just wasn't sure if you typed 'more civilised' by accident but i get what you mean now.

[DeAdLY SiNZz]

if you can move freely and fast and are good with endurance and climbing like having parkour as a skill would benefit and make it pretty easy to do so